


Howling For Him

by Morgyn Leri (morgynleri)



Series: The Travel Collection: Drabbles, Snippets, and Supershorts [12]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, GFY, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-23
Updated: 2013-05-23
Packaged: 2017-12-12 17:18:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/814036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgynleri/pseuds/Morgyn%20Leri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His bow is always right there, and his quiver. He doesn't leave it behind right now, no matter where he goes, no matter how complete the illusion of safety.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Howling For Him

At the top of the tower, there is always wind, sometimes just rushing, like a mountain river, other times howling. Howling and plucking at his clothes and trying to drag him off the edge where he sat with dangling feet. It hasn't succeeded yet, and Clint has no intention of allowing it. His bow is always right there, and his quiver, with the grappling arrow ready if he needs to draw it. He doesn't leave it behind right now, no matter where he goes, no matter how complete the illusion of safety.

Eventually he knows he'll manage to feel safe with just the weapons he can conceal, that he'll stop sitting quite so close to the edge of the building, or sleeping - when he sleeps at all - in the ductwork above Coulson's room. Hypervigilence, paranoia, nightmares, all of it is familiar and he knows he's worked through this sort of thing before and he should be able to do it again.

It helps that Fury lied about Coulson being dead. It means he hasn't actually carried through with the random thoughts that it might be simpler to let the wind tug him off the edge of the roof when it's howling for him. It doesn't stop the thoughts, it doesn't stop the sense that he'd failed when Loki had taken over his mind and turned him against everything he'd stood for, everyone he'd loved best. It doesn't stop the emotions that roil and shift, or the insomnia, or anything else.

Clint shifts, a little further back from the edge, and leans back to look up at the hazy summer sky. He's not dead, Coulson isn't dead, Natasha isn't dead. He's still not locked up being poked and prodded by psychologists and scientists over Loki's brainwashing. It's enough, for the moment.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "wind".
> 
> Originally posted as part of [The Travel Collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754), in the chapter [Sky-Song](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754/chapters/1471349).


End file.
